 My name's Regan. I worked for Anthony J. Lyon detective bureau. They call me the Lyon's Eye Jeff Regan investigator starring Paul Dubov as Regan with Frank Nelson as Anthony J. Lyon We'll stand by for mystery and suspense and adventure in tonight's story titled a cure for insomnia An ad in the papers. That's what started this one off There were three dead and one to go by the time we got to the last half of the last inning of it And it looked like the pitcher that was tossing the strikeouts was shooting for my boss Anthony J. Lyon It got rolling the kind of day you don't see much around LA Storm breaking about 10 in the morning when I got down to the Lyon detective bureau office My boy be careful where you stand. What's the matter Lyon dropping olives? Oh, don't be funny Your feet are muddy and we can't afford to have the carpet cleaned not the way business is going these days Yeah, well, okay, Lyon mind if I sit down my overcoats wet Well, then take it off first who Regan our books don't balance for the month of April Wait a minute. Leave your coat on and don't sit out. So we got a new client. Yes, Jeffrey I was sitting here at my desk 20 minutes ago trying to balance our books and the phone rang and it was a new client Exactly Jeffrey who a man named Paulson he lives in Hollywood in the hills above Hollywood and Vine on Chapman Boulevard 7707 and a half and you better get out there right away. Somebody's life in danger. Maybe mm-hmm life in danger Oh, no, no the victims already dead. Mrs. Paulson the Paulson's wife Murdered Paulson says he wants us to prove it Paulson wants us to prove his wife was murdered. Yes You see Mrs. Paulson died seven or eight days ago the police say she committed suicide But mr. Paulson would be so much happier if it would turn out that she were murdered Jeffrey nice fella He isn't he my boy. He wants to pay us a hundred dollars. Not what I meant Look Lyon of Mrs. Paulson died seven or eight days ago. What's so urgent about my getting out there this morning? You're the one hundred dollars Jeffrey. Oh I get it as I explained to you my boy try as I might scheme as I would our April books Refuse to balance now. I've been thinking that perhaps one little fee carried backwards if from the first week of May Okay, Fatso set your calendar back to standard time. I'll go out and talk to Paulson. I Went through bus or rain eating off hillside frontage sluicing California down blooded drains that couldn't keep up I turned right at Sunset in Niagara went up two blocks forded Hollywood Boulevard Chapman Boulevard was half a dozen blocks of twisted hill lip bleary tile-roofed stucco houses 7707 and a half where Paulson lived was the rear third of a triplex. I parked my car turned up my overcoat collar Went back That's right. Come in. I'm Paulson. Come in Now just sit down mr. Regan. I'll tell you everything all about a toilet half sure sure just let me get out of my overcoat I'll help you. Thanks. Thanks. I got it Ah You seem pretty upset Paulson. Yes. Yes, the thing is I can't endure doubting any longer I can't stand the doubt the fear that my wife wasn't murdered Paulson doesn't it strike you as a little queer that a guy'd want to spend a hundred bucks with private dicks to prove His wife was murdered. Oh, no, no, no not at all. You'd better give me the rundown Paulson. Yes Yes, that would be best Well My wife's name was Linda Linda Paulson. We'd been married seven years, and we were very much in love with each other Seven nights ago quietly in her twin bed the other bed where she slept in our bedroom that room there Mr. Regan go on Linda died in the night Sometime in the night you woke up in the morning and found her dead. Yes, and mr. Regan it Was as attained that Linda had died of poison what the cops have to say about it. Well, of course they investigated But their verdict was suicide Capsules containing the same poison that killed Linda were found in her purse and there were other things. I don't know quite what But the police were convinced that Linda had definitely taken that poison herself Well, then that about settles it doesn't it Paulson except For Linda's motive motive that's the term used in these murders, isn't it? Well Linda had no reason to want to die No motive for killing herself. You seem sure of that I I was I was sure of it But but now I've begun to doubt and that's why I want help Don't you see if Linda wasn't murdered if it was suicide as the police seem so sure Then that means that my wife wanted to die That means that our our life together when when I thought we were very happy Wasn't what it seemed to be at all. I see what you mean And that's why you want me to prove it was murder. Yes, mr. Regan. It makes sense All right, Paulson heat up some coffee, huh? We'll get to work Paulson brewed coffee like I'd hoped it steadied them down He gave me what he could it wasn't much He and his wife were ordinary middle-bracket people. No love triangles Paulson said Mrs. Paulson hadn't had any money of her own her life hadn't been insured Paulson said she'd been perfectly normal no depression nothing queer right up to her death I took down the names and addresses of some of the friends and relatives told Paulson I want to check around Then I went downtown a homicide dropped in on lieutenant Sanducci It's about a woman named Linda Paulson Sanducci The woman that killed herself a week or so ago look Sanducci the husband's retained me to prove she didn't kill herself He thinks she was murdered. Thanks, Regan Listen, have you seen the house where it happened came from there just now Then narrow bottleneck passage back to it between two front houses. Yeah, the night it happened It was hot neighbors at the chairs out at the head of the passage Nobody could get in or out without being seen maybe Paulson killed her himself thought of that We're not amateurs here at the department Regan Paulson was out at a meeting Mrs. Paulson went to bed at 10 30 Neighbors saw the lights go out in the house neighbors see Paulson come home at 25 after 11 Went to bed in the dark his wife with a poor sleeper. He didn't want to disturb her We haven't told him this Regan, but she was dead then you got the time of the death from the reaction of the poison Plus the state of the cadaver Figuring the two together she took the poison when she went to bed at 10 30 died 10 minutes later and There's a clincher Regan go on the pill box. Mrs. Paulson kept in a purse Kind of unusual it had a key that she kept on a chain around her neck That's where it was when you saw the body. Yes, and the pill box in the purse was locked That's right, Regan no tampering with the lock. Mrs. Paulson's fingerprints on the box and nobody else's and we know She was alone in the house when she took the poison Now look Regan you talked to her husband. He told you she had no motive to kill herself same as she told us That's right Well, did he give you the full rundown Regan about how they had no enemies the woman had no money no insurance Nice decent ordinary people Regan not the kind to be mixed up in crime or rackets. He gave me that Maybe it suggested something to you sure Sanduchi sure it did if Paulson's story checks There won't be any motive for Mrs. Paulson's having killed herself and there won't be motive for anybody else having killed her either That's right Regan. Oh and Regan Paulson's story checks It checked I Cruised through the rain visited people who knew the Paulson's Everybody said the same thing no reason no motive for murder or suicide Only there had to be a reason I'd start with that The newspaper morgue downtown. I got the beginning of something I remember the Paulson thing you know my reputation Regan Morgan the guy who never forgets a thing sure sure I know Morgan's wife come to you. Yeah, well, I could give it to you verbatim Don't have to look it up in the files. You know, it's like they say Morgan never forget Well, let's see Linda Paulson. You said a suicide. Well, I made a name was Linda Cales Say wait a minute got something maybe just let me check him in the Oregon papers We keep them to we keep papers from every place Yeah, Portland, Oregonian. Yeah, it was Portland. All right, the Oregonian March Yeah, March 18th and the sixth page and I think it was the fifth column No, no, no, no here it is sixth page fourth column. I slipped up Regan. Anyway, here it is. Cance. Let's see that Yeah, sure look Kale's brother Regan. Yeah, he died suddenly in bed March 17th survived by three sisters all residing in Los Angeles, California And here it is Regan thing. I remembered one of those sisters. Yeah. Yeah, Linda Kale's Paulson I phoned the lion Told him to get through to Sanducci and homicide try to get Sanducci to have the Portland police Exhumed the body of the dead brother perform an autopsy for possible evidence of poison Me I got on the track of the surviving sisters around LA One was married her home phone didn't answer But five or six phone calls got me a line on the other sister. She was unmarried Her name was Jane Kale's she worked at a resort up in San Gabriel Canyon about a two-hour drive from LA I went up there Oh You're right, I don't sometimes we get it this late in the year we're 5,000 feet up We'll sit down to the counter and have something hot. Okay coffee. I'm a cashier But while the cowgirls on arrest you're the cashier, huh? Yeah, that's right. I'm looking for you. You're Jane Kale's Yeah, yeah, well, so what? Here's your coffee. My name's Regan. I'm a private detective. Thanks Well, what do you want with me? I ain't done nothing. I'm on my own business. Take it easy I'm edgy. I don't get my sleep Haven't ever slept good it runs in the family But now that my sister Linda's gone and poisoned herself why I'm here her husband doesn't think she did poison herself What do you think? I'll tell you what I think I Think it's a sin I've been lying awake nights lying awake asking myself. How could Linda've done a thing like that? Maybe your sister was murdered Have you thought of that? Linda maybe your brother up in Oregon too. Oh, that's impossible. There wouldn't be any reason There wouldn't be any reason money someplace in the family. Maybe Jane. Oh, no, no, we don't have any money Not for 20 years 20 years What dad had money before the crash, but he lost it got cleaned out in 29. He died four years later Okay, okay, Jane And there's just you and your married sister down in LA left in the family now. Yes Caroline That's my other sister Caroline Cale's Martz. She married Charlie Martz 11 years ago Yeah, mr. Regan Caroline and our are the only ones left Back down in LA about 6 30 I was lucky I got Caroline on the phone She and her husband were going out to dinner, but she said they'd be back by 10 About a quarter past and I went over by half past. We had the brush cleared away and we're down to business Can't believe it Linda. Oh, pardon me, mr. Regan sure Martz Just can't believe it Linda would have killed herself Mrs. Martz. Yes Suicides usually prompted by love trouble or ill health. This certainly wasn't any love trouble Linda and her husband were very happy and health Well, of course Linda would sometimes say that yes, Mrs. Martz Well, only that if she couldn't rest She couldn't get more sleep, you know She she'd kill herself But all of us in our family sleep very poorly and I'm sure that every one of us must have said that is one Can you come here a minute of the phone is for you excuse me? Yes, of course The phones hung up Martz. Oh, yes. Yes, I Didn't want Carolina here. What's up? Mr. Regan. This thing is beginning to take on a pattern a Pattern that frightens me for my wife. That was San Gabriel Canyon on the phone Yes, it was that the night cashier at the resort took sick this evening They went to get my wife's sister Jane to fill in it had snald and then stopped There were no tracks to Jane's cabin, but her own She was alone wait a minute You're gonna tell me they found her dead Suicide mr. Regan she'd taken poison The way this case went it looked like the Kale's clan had developed quite a taste for poison Linda Kale's pulse and died of it. Then there was a brother dead up in Oregon My money had it. They'd find he died of poison too if they dug him up and took a look and then there was a third Kale's Jane dead to San Gabriel Canyon poison I Told Charlie March to keep a close eye on the last Kale's left alive his wife Then I had it for San Gabriel Canyon Snowplow was working on the road the last mile up had to wait a while So I phoned the lion in LA at home. It was midnight You don't tell me Fatso Why are you out hiding from somebody Okay, skip it. Here's what I want you to do check the airline train and bus offices They're open all night Find out if any of the Kale's family or in-laws had a reservation up to Portland Oregon any time just before the brother died up there Phone me if you get anything. I'll be at Clemens Mountain Resort San Gabriel Canyon Maybe an hour or two get going and good luck The snow plow finished clearing the road and I went on up San Gabriel Canyon There was one light left on in the resort cafe sitting under it Lieutenant Sanducci Up here who sent you up Sanducci you did Reagan you on the line I checked with the Portland police. They were fast up there. So the brother was poisoned. He was poisoned Regan and This girl up here and the first sister Linda Paulson and Now the third sister sir. Give me that again Caroline March down in Los Angeles Waiting for the phone now for a port under condition. I told her husband to keep an eye on her. He said he did Regan There's nearly hysterical over his sister's death up here One of the bathroom crying have sick Well in a few minutes March her to cry out he ran in and she was unconscious on the floor Call an ambulance and they rushed to the receiving hospital and she'd been poisoned like the others Regan Now Regan this one up here. This Jane Kale's every bit of evidence points to suicide There was fresh snow only hurt tracks led to the cabin two or three extra poison capsules and a medicine chain Kale's didn't commit suicide. You know that Regan. I talked to her this afternoon. She hated suicide couldn't understand How anybody could do such a thing, but if it's murder Regan, why what mode? Yeah, sure and how how does the killer pull it off? Report I miss girl and March condition. Excuse me a second sure Hello Sanducci, huh? Oh Just a minute No, it's for you Regan must be the lion. Maybe he's got something for us. I had him working on a lead Hello, lion. This is Regan Morgan who never forgets a thing at the newspaper. Oh, hi Morgan. I phoned Anthony lion. He told me how to reach you. Yeah, what's on your mind? You did Morgan Go on Morgan we don't file the valley times, but I remember it verbatim. You see it's like they say yeah Morgan never forgets a thing. What was it in the valley times about Kale? Well, it was an ad Regan the lower left hand corner in the seventh page two columns wide I'd say about three column inches three line bold face head with a wide margin the last line of type didn't print quite Okay, Morgan. What did it say? Well Bank of the United States, North Hollywood, California, and there was some stuff about the bank What did it say? Oh, you know? Capitalization when it was found you want that you can skip that part. What did it say about Kale's? Bertram Kale's yeah. Oh well Bertram Kale's has seventy three thousand dollars in the Bank of the United States in North Hollywood But there's been no activity in the account for 20 years. Yeah If Kale's is some relation don't show up to claim the dough either bank is going to turn it over to the treasurer of the state of California The regular legal process, you know the ad is the formal notification. Thanks a lot Morgan You've just given me the motive for three murders The thing begins to make sense now Regan dollar cents Bertram Kale's would be the father of the tribe He was in the box once got cleaned out in the crash Jane Kale's told me that this afternoon Only he must have stashed away one bank account 73,000 smacks. He didn't tell anybody about Wasn't the one of the investigators to find it if you failed in business about that time Probably planned to use the dough a few years later after the squeeze was off Only he died four years after the crash Jane Kale's told me that too It adds up Regan. It adds up to mass murder All the Kale's children had equal claims to their dead father's dough So somebody started knocking off the children systematically one by one object to get all the 73,000 That's the why of it. All right That won't be a lift is the how And the who Maybe that'll be the lion now if the lead he's working on pans out. We may have our who Hello, lion Yes, that's right This is Georgia street receiving hospital calling I signal sanducci and he took the booth I went back to the counter watch sanducci through the glass What he got over the phone. He didn't like he came busting out of the booth Regan wait till you hear this. What's up sanducci? What's up? I'll tell you what's up Caroline martz recovered they pumped out her stomach her stomach contained the same poison They killed her two sisters and her brother that figures sure it figures But caroline kills martz got to the hospital in time. She didn't die like the others You mean you think she took poison as a cover-up? She was the last surviving kills child The way it is now she gets a 73 thousand dollars But she's got a nice heart freaking if we suggest she poisoned her brother and sister Yeah, yeah, she got poisoned too. Yeah, it could be that Well, we better get down to town and ask caroline some questions That's what I've been trying to tell you when she turned out to be all right Regan those knit which I left in charge down there released her she disappeared Sanducci and I drove back to LA He used the siren on his police car and I stuck right behind in his windstream We got back down to town after 4 a.m Nobody home at the mart's house We found only one thing on caroline kale's martz dressing table a black mask The silk covered padded black mask no eye holes The kind people use to keep out the light when they're trying to sleep About six in the morning I left sanducci pulled into a drive-in for coffee and Rain had stopped I kept thinking of that black mask on caroline kale's martz dressing table sleeping mask And something that had run through the whole case like a thread of music Caroline had said it jane kale's had said it it had been set of linda the first sister to die We don't sleep well it runs in the family. We don't sleep well At seven I phoned the lion no answer So I began checking the airline railway and bus offices myself The fourth time around I got the brass ring Paulson had bought transportation or a gun a week before the brother's death in portland I wanted to talk to him bad But uh, but mr. Regan I afraid I'm hardly awake just sit and listen Paulson when I've got the sail wake you up I think I can guess how the members of your wife's family were poisoned you can mr. Regan There's plenty of evidence. They took the poison themselves. Yes. Yes, and they weren't trying to commit suicide when they did it I hope that's true in the case of my wife. It is because there's a way it makes sense Murder sense the victims took poison thinking they were taking something else Your wife made quite a career of pill taking didn't she Paulson? Well, well, yes Just her nerves of course maybe overstrained by lack of sleep the kale's family insomnia. Yes. Yes. That was it mr. Regan She had a pill box with a lock kept the key to it on a chain around her neck Somebody close to her might have been able to get hold of that key unlock the pill box substitute poison pills for the pills already in the box I see I see that must be how it happened and and with jane and with caroline and your brother law up in portland oregon He was poisoned too. That's right Paulson You made a trip up to oregon just before he died. That's right with my wife Sort of second honeymoon mr. Regan Paulson Maybe you can guess what i'm thinking I mean mr. Regan you you don't mean you think that I That I were here at the time of the poisonings. Yes, that's true and you were there in portland. Oh, no No, I I didn't go to portland. What I I didn't go well. I meant to go you went to oregon Yes, linda and I crater lake the oregon caves and then we were going to portland The whole family was to meet there for my brother in law's 50th birthday Well, if the oregon caves I had bad news for my business and I had to come back here Then who was at portland paulson? Well, the the rest of the family including caroline and charlie martz. Yes. Yes, of course Answer it paulson. Yes. All right caroline Hello, mrs. Martz Mr. Regan Had no idea you'd be here I guess it's just as well Mr. Regan, do you know the terrible thing that's happened that your husband gave you poison? Then you do know in your sleeping pills, I guess Charlie began saying he couldn't sleep baked insomnia then asked to borrow your sleeping pills Fill the capsules with poison then return them. He knew you take them We all all of us the whole family suffers from insomnia all the caves family We depend on sleeping pills as your husband knew. Yes Why? Why did my husband want to kill me? He didn't caroline He knew we'd get you to the hospital in time. He just wanted to make things look right So there wouldn't be a lot of questions asked when you got seventy three thousand dollars Half of which would be your husband's under california community property law Well that wrapped it up all except one thing. We didn't have the killer I phoned sanducci and he got the boys on it an hour went by two hours three hours No trace of medium-sized graying dapper charlie march. That wasn't all I kept phoning the office the lion's house. There was no trace of the lion About noon. I began rechecking the air bus and rail terminals Thank you for waiting, sir. May I help you now? I'm checking on train reservations to the north oragon for the first couple of weeks Of march. I'm a private detective. Next you'll be saying you want to know about the reservation to port of origan obtained in march But charles march. Are you psychic hardly? But there was another private detective here this morning asking the same question a fat man smell the stale cigars That's what I want. That's who i'm looking for and hardly makes you special I noticed that someone was following the fat man gimme medium-sized graying dapper man march march Sanducci, I won't stick here in your office any longer. I'm going down on it rig and rig and I got 20 boys looking for march The whole force is alerted man at the airport a man at union station Man at the bus terminal. What could you do alone? I don't know sanducci, but he's tailing the lion Sanducci, huh Oh, okay, I'll be right down Well rig and we picked up march. They're holding him downstairs Well sanducci well march won't talk sanducci. You gotta make him talk. I've been in a cell with him rig and He says he never saw anybody that answers the lion's description. He's lying sanducci. Well, he may be but what can I do? Here you are jeffrey jeffrey. Why aren't you at the office? Are you taking the day off lion? It's you Well, of course, it's me jeffrey. I've been worried about you. You've been worried about me Well, you haven't been home all day and when I've telephoned the office no answer jeffrey, do we run a business or do we not well you weren't at the office fatso? No, I wasn't lion. What is this? What do you mean? What is it? I should be asking you all day away from the office in my hour of need I told you our april books don't balance. You told me sure. Well jeffrey one of our creditors got on my trail this morning Oh, no, not a medium-sized graying dapper man. Yes a medium-sized graying dapper man Mr. Lucius cronkite of cronkite and bowls pencil shoppers and accessories He's outside the office right now jeffrey and he wants 13 dollars Did you collect rp from mr. Paulson jeffrey? Sure lion sure. I collected it. Here you are jeff reagan investigator is written by william fifell produced and directed by sterling tracy And stars paul debaub as reagan with frank nelson as anthony j lion original music is by dick aron jeff reagan investigator is heard each week at the same time over cbs bob stevensson speaking and inviting you to be with us again for more suspense and mystery and adventure with jeff reagan investigator